Blocking Material Injection for Gas Turbine Laser Drilling
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Solution Overview
Problem
The complexity of internal passages in gas turbine components, such as turbine blades, makes it challenging to adequately inject and distribute blocking materials that prevent damage from laser drilling, especially in small cavities and those with complex features or dead-ends, as existing methods rely on temperature and pressure control which are insufficient.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the initial formation of strategic apertures via a different process, such as EDM, to facilitate the injection and filling of blocking material, followed by laser drilling of the remaining apertures, ensuring complete cavity fill and protection from laser beam strikes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If laser drilling is used to create cooling apertures, then manufacturing precision and productivity are improved, but blocking material may not adequately fill complex internal cavities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by forming at least one aperture before laser drilling to create a pathway for blocking material injection. This preliminary aperture allows the blocking material to be injected into the cavity before the laser drilling process begins, ensuring complete filling of complex internal passages and dead-ends that would otherwise be inaccessible.
2Manufacturing precision
If blocking material temperature and injection pressure are controlled, then filling effectiveness is improved, but complete fill of complex cavities and dead-ends cannot be guaranteed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the aperture formation process into two distinct stages: first forming at least one aperture using a non-laser process to enable blocking material injection, and then forming remaining apertures via laser drilling. This segmentation allows the blocking material to be introduced through the first aperture and distributed throughout complex cavities before the laser drilling of remaining apertures, ensuring complete filling of all internal passages including dead-ends.
3Ease of operation
If part orientation and injection pressure are controlled to move entrapped gases, then filling is improved, but dead-end cavities and complex features remain problematic
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the intermediary principle by using the first aperture as a mediator or gateway that enables blocking material to reach deep into complex internal cavities and dead-ends. This preliminary aperture serves as an access point that allows the blocking material to be injected and distributed throughout the entire cavity system before laser drilling of remaining apertures, ensuring complete filling regardless of cavity complexity or orientation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach ensures effective filling of blocking material in complex cavities, reduces wall strikes during laser drilling, and allows verification of complete fill before drilling, while being compatible with existing equipment and manufacturing processes.
Implementation Method 1
One process to drill the holes utilizes a laser beam that burns through the wall of the airfoil to form a hole that provides a satisfactory conduit for cooling air
Implementation Method 2
blocking material may be disposed in the cavity to block the laser beam from striking walls that bound the cavity
Data Source
AI summary
A method for disposing blocking material within an interior of a component for blocking a beam of radiation from a laser during a laser drilling operation, the method including forming one of a multiple of apertures formed via a first process and forming the remainder of the multiple of apertures formed via a laser drilling process. A component for a gas turbine engine includes a surface with at least one of a multiple of apertures formed via a first process, the at least one of the multiple of apertures formed via the first process in communication with a cavity, a remainder of the multiple of apertures formed via a laser drilling process, the remainder of the multiple of apertures in communication with the cavity.